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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. tube — the underground
  4. chest — of your body
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chest — a box
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. band — a ring
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. tube — a container
  23. chest — of your body
  24. band — a music group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com